Modern Counterculture Gallery

FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF GINSBERG'S DEATHSan Francisco 1998

Michael McClure and Zen master and poet Philip Whalen and I are celebrating Allen's passing. It had been one year. Michael asked me if I wanted to come along and I felt so honored. Ginsberg and Whalen had the most impact on my soul. I never met anyone like them, calm spirits. I knew Philip was having difficulty seeing so I printed up a larger version of Allen so he could see him.

PHILIP WHALEN'S ZEN CEREMONY FOR ALLENSan Francisco 1998

Philip Whalen is leading the Zen ceremony for Allen Ginsberg. Meeting and photographing Ginsberg and Whalen had the most impact on my soul. I never met anyone as centered like them. McClure had the most impact on my mind.

ROBERT FRANKSan Francisco 1998

My wife, Lisa and I were driving to a party in honor of Robert Frank. I told her that he had filmed Pull My Daisy and he had been dead for some time. The private party was in celebration of one of his films. To my pleasant surprise, filmmaker, photographer Robert Frank was alive and at the party after the showing of his film, Cocksucker Blues at the San Francisco Film Festival. I told him how much his work, The Americans, influenced me. What I really meant was that I felt the book was over-rated and I could do better work. His work became my artistic goal to beat. I am not trying to be nasty, just honest.